Recently, I posted several tips for smoother tear-downs, to help planners wrap-up and clear out of event venues more quickly – but for those of us who produce night-time events that often end in the wee hours, here are three more tips to keep in mind, no matter how late it gets. Make these tips part of your late night tear-down routine and they could wind up saving you time, money and possibly a tussle with the venue should problems arise after you’ve cleared out:

Shoot 'em up. It’s the end of the night. You’re tired and just want to go home and crash for the night. Not so fast! Take 5 minutes to walk through the venue and thoroughly video or photograph the spaces so you have visual documentation of exactly what it looked like when you left, in case there's a question later.

Don’t wrap and dash – do a farewell walk-thru. Just like you did when you first toured the venue, do an end-of-the-night walk-thru with the venue’s on-site manager, as soon as you are ready to leave for the night. Verbally confirm with the manager that everything is in order and that all is in good condition. Doing so will help guard against a venue’s ability to try to bill you later for damages not caused by your team.

Drop a line and a hint. After you’ve vacated the space, that night or first thing in the morning, send a follow-up email to your primary contact for the venue. Offer kudos where appropriate and mention that you walked the space with the night manager, who confirmed that the space was in order when you left – in other words, politely document just the highlights of the conversation. Though it might not stand up in court, a well-worded follow-up note will give the impression that you paid attention, took special care and can go to the mat if you have to.